Shoe



Jan." 11, 1927. 1,613,691

M. F. BROGAN SHOE Filed Jan. 12, 1924 Patented Jan. 11, 1927.

names srarss PATENT @F'FIC E.

MICHAEL F. BROGAN, OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOEMACHINERY CORPORATION OF PATERSON, NEW! JERSEY, A CORPORATION NEWJERSEY.

SHOE.

Applicationfiled January 12, 1924. Serial No. 685,924.

This invention relates to improvements in shoes and particularly to thereinforcement of shoe uppers so as to prevent stretching or tearing ofthe material of the shoe uppers by shoe lacings.

Invisible eyelets, that is to say eyelets inserted in shoe uppers withtheir flanges position-ed upon the lining 0r facing and with theirprongs clenched between adjacent layers so that they cannot be seen uponthe outside of the finished shoe, have become very popular in the shoetrade. These are desirable from the point of view of the manufacturer,the retailer and the public generally as a style feature on account oftheir neat and attractive appearance. They are additionally attractiveto the shoe manufacturer on account of the fact that eyelets which aresatisfactory for, insertion in this way in medium and high grade shoescost substantially less than the type of eyelet which it is necessary touse in those grades of shoes if theeyelets are set in the ordinary waywith their flanges lying upon the upper leather so that they are visibleupon the outside of the finished shoe.

It is an object of the present invention to reinforce shoe uppers in amanner which, when a shoe is worn, will give the style effect ofinvisible eyelets and which will cost even less than invisibleeyeleting.

lVith these objects in view, the shoe upper is provided with reinforcingfastenings inserted therethr-ough adjacent to'the lacing holes andpositioned to be covered by the .laoings when the shoe is worn. In theillustrated enilmdilnent of the invention, a staple is inserted. throughthe shoe upper adjacent to but somewhat removed from the edge of eachlacing hole and positioned relatively to the lacing hole so as to becovered by the shoe lacing when the shoe is worn. Shoes equipped in thisfashion, the lacing holes of which are not eyeleted at all, cannot bedistinguished on the feet of the wearer from shoes having invisibleeyelets. Moreover, it has been found by experience that the uppers ofshoes so equipped stand up in a very satisfactory fashion under Wear andthat the lacing holes do not stretch or tear under the strains to whichthey are subjected.

With the above and other objects and features in view, the inventionwill now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings andpointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, 1

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe e1n-v bodying the presentinvention;

Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the upper of theshoe of Fig. 1.;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on a still larger scale taken on the line 38of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the portions of the shoe upper adjacentto the lower end of the lacing slit.

The upper of the illustrated shoe is composed of the usual upper leather6 and lining 8, and, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, is pro vided adjacent tothe'edges of the lacing slit with a reinforcing stay 10. The lacingholes 12 are punched in the usual location to receive thelacing 14.Instead of being eyel-eted, the lacing holes of the illustrated shoe arereinforced by staples 16 inserted through the layers of the shoe upperwith their bars 18 lying upon the outside of the upper leather, whichmay be slightly com pressed thereby, and with their prongs 20 extendingthrough the layers of the shoe upper and clenched at 22 upon the lininginside the shoe.

In order that the bars of the staples may be completely covered by theshoe lacing, it is helpful to position the staples which reinforce thelower pair of lacing holes (Fig. 4) and, if the shoe is not providedwith lacing hooks, those which reinforce the upper pair of lacing holes2) so that their bars are bisected by a straight line connecting the twolacing holes of the pair, while the staples which reinforce the otherlacing holes (Figs. 2 and ll) are preferably positioned somewhat abovethatline and at an inclination to it. To snow this more clearly, in Fig.4: the position occupied by the lacing is indicated by broken lines 24,26. It should be noted, moreover, that by clenching the prongs of thestaples away from each other, the shoe upper is reinforced over adistance considerably greater than the length of the bar of the staple.

' Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is e 1. A shoe having anupper provided with non-eyeleted lacing holes, each lacing hole beingreinforced by a fastening passing through the material of the shoe upperat a point removed from but adjacent to the lacing hole and positionedto be covered by the lacing when the shoe is worn.

2. A shoe having an upper provided with lacing holes, the lacing holesbeing reinforced by staples inserted in the shoe upper in position to becovered by the lacing when the shoe is worn.

3. A shoe having an upper composed of two or more layers of materialwith a lacing hole punched therein and having a reinforcing stapleinserted in the stool; of the shoe upper adjacent to the lacing hole andpeertioned to be covered by the lacing when the shoe is worn.

4. A shoe upper having lacing holes each reinforced by a staple with itsbar lying upon the outer surface of the upper leather and its prongsclenched inside the shoe upper the bar of the staple adjacent to the.lacing hole and positioned to be covered by the lacin when the shoe isworn.

5. shoe having an upper provided with lacing holes each reinforced by astaple having its bar lying on the outer surface of the shoe upper inposition to be covered by the lacing when the shoe is worn and havingits prongs clenched with their clenched portions turned away "from eachother.

6. A shoe having an upper provided with non-eyele'ted lacing holes eachreinforced by astaple having its bar lying upon the outside of the shoeupper in position to' be covered by the lacing when the shoe is worn andits prongs clenched in the material of theshoe upper with their clenchedends turned away from each other. I

7. A shoe having an upper provided with lacing holes each reinforced bya staple having its bar lying upon the outer surface of the upperleather and its prongs clenched inside the shoe upper, the bars oi thestaples adjacent to the respective lacing holes, and the bars of thestaples adjacent to the lower pair oi? lacing holes being bisected by astraight line connecting the lacing holes of the pair.

3. A shoe having an upper provided'with lacing holes each reinforced bya staple having its bar lying upon the outer surface of the upperleather and its prongs clenched inside the shoe upper, the barsof thestaples being adjacent to the respective lacing holes, and the bars ofsome of "the staples being somewhat above andat an inclination to a lineconnecting the lacing holes of a pair.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

MICHAEL r. BROGAN.

